


Phantom of the Cinema

by sleepy_sphinx



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Creativitwins, Dancing, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Logince (but not really), M/M, Panic Attacks, Roceit - Freeform, Roman Angst, ghost au, i swear its mainly fluff despite the tags, janus angst, losleep - Freeform, roceit isn't dead its just resting, roman wears a skirt because i said so, two ghosts chillin in a movie theater five feet apart but they are gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24755461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepy_sphinx/pseuds/sleepy_sphinx
Summary: After being stood up on a date for the first time, Roman's pretty sure his day can't get any worse. And then he gets himself killed. Which is awful, of course– but hey, at least the ghost he meets shortly afterwords is nice! And charming!  And attractive! And– oh.
Relationships: <-- not endgame, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Comments: 46
Kudos: 194





	Phantom of the Cinema

**Author's Note:**

> hey there!! it has been a Fresh While since i posted anything, huh? to be fair, I was working on some other wips, and then svsr came out and i HAD to keep the ship alive with a fluffy roceit drabble one-shot. and then that one-shot became 11k words long. so fun times!!!
> 
> anyway, the tag "major character death" doesn't really apply, because none of the characters actually die, but its a ghost au so. they do. kinda? idk. there's also some violence, but i tried to keep it as non-graphic as possible, so unless you are very sensetive (which is valid as heck) i don't think you need to worry! 
> 
> anyway, without further ado, please enjoy some roceit fluff!!!!!

Roman had always been told that his stubborn nature would be the death of him. Of course, he had assumed this was hyperbole– as much as he liked to think of himself as a hero, he was no Greek paragon fated to be smote by the gods for his undying hubris. He worked at Burger King, for crying out loud! And yet, as he checked his phone for what was probably the 800th time to reveal that it was one in the goddamn morning, Roman was beginning to think it would at least get him a severe cold. Still, he’d rather freeze to death in this stupid skirt than admit he had been stood up. And by  _ Logan Crofter _ , of all people! 

Roman sighed, tightening his leather jacket around his shoulders. It was a bleak night, cold and wet but not quite raining enough for Roman to bring an umbrella. He was supposed to have been indoors an hour ago. His date was  _ supposed _ to meet him at this movie theater for the midnight showing of some nerdy space movie– Roman had only agreed because the actor who played the protagonist was  _ extremely _ attractive– and yet, here he was an hour later, alone and disgraced. Roman huffed, watching his breath cloud out of his mouth like smoke. When he was younger, he and his twin brother used to pretend to be dragons on chilly nights like these. As if summoned by his thoughts, his phone buzzed with a text from Remus:

**Trash Mammal:** enjoying ur hot date? ;) ;) ;)

**Trash Mammal:** bet that nerds glasses aren’t the only big thing about him ;)

**Prince Charming:** that was forced

**Trash Mammal:** >:P

**Prince Charming:** super mature, thank you remus. Anyway he hasn’t showed up yet

**Trash Mammal:** wdym? 

**Trash Mammal:** did he STAND YOU UP

**Prince Charming:** Idk i mean he’s only an hour late right?

**Trash Mammal:** o honey

**Trash Mammal:** that’s called denial

**Prince Charming:** SHUTUP VERMIN

**Trash Mammal:** dw roman i’ll be sure to break all his bones for ya!!!!

**Trash Mammal:** he won’t be able to stand At All after im done with him

**Trash Mammal:** >:3

**Trash Mammal:** anyways u should come home its like. Cold out or whatever. You’ll get hypochondria

**Prince Charming:** ???

**Prince Charming:** hypothermia???

**Trash Mammal:** yea whatever

**Prince Charming:** Remus you are going to be a doctor

**Trash Mammal:** fuck you its saturday night i don’t gotta brain till monday XD

**Trash Mammal:** Anywho. id be sad if you died so. Dont. 

**Prince Charming:** awwwwwww bro!!!! Its almost like you care about me or something!!!!

**Trash Mammal:** ew gross id never XP

**Prince Charming:** <3 <3 <3

**Prince Charming:** but anyway i think I’m gonna wait just a bit longer. To be safe. 

**Trash Mammal:** yee ok 

**Trash Mammal:** just be careful of spooky fire ghosts~~~~~~

**Prince Charming:** tf is that supposed to mean?

**Trash Mammal:** ah dude! Apparently that movie theater used to be like. A real actual theater place in the 80s. But one time it burned down, and the main actor guy fuckin died. So now his spirit haunts the place and like. Messes with the staff n stuff. Idk apparently it's big in the manhattan ghost hunters scene. 

**Prince Charming:** how do you know these things???

**Trash Mammal:** ... I may be a small part of the ghost hunters scene

**Prince Charming:** Not surprised lol

**Trash Mammal:** aw cmon its not like any of it is really real. Just some spoopy ghost stories. I mean unless u think its TOO spoopy and you need stuffysquid to save you :3

**Prince Charming:** fool! I fear no man, nor spirit, nor hypochondria!!!

… 

**Trash Mammal:** ro u still there

**Prince Charming:** ...I mean maybe there’s just traffic and he’s running really late. That’s possible right?

**Trash Mammal:** ROMAN

**Trash Mammal:** ITS BEEN TWO HOURS

**Trash Mammal:** BOI ITS TIME TO GIVE UP THE GHOST (pun super duper intended)

**Trash Mammal:** HE DEF NOT SHOWING UP

**Prince Charming:** ...i feel like a fool. 

**Trash Mammal:** bro!! no!!! He is the fool!!!!!!

**Trash Mammal:** ur a snack bro!!!! Don’t let no one tell u different!!!!

**Trash Mammal:** and if they do tell you different i’ll scoop their brains out with a melon baller!!!!!!!

**Prince Charming:** don’t expect me to help you with the bodies, vagabond

**Trash Mammal:** >:O 

**Prince Charming:** anyway speaking of snacks there’s a bakery across the street. I’ll get something to eat 

**Prince Charming:** and then ig i’ll go home

Roman clicked his phone closed, not even bothering to read Remus’s response. He valiantly resisted the urge to wait outside the theater longer, or even text Logan asking for an explanation– he wasn’t about to show such weakness to such a double-crossing _ jerk. _ Because yes, Roman had been stood up, and yes, it was his first time, and yes it made him feel an extraordinary brand of inadequate. But none of this was his fault. Remus was right– he was a snack, he was more than worthy of anyone’s attention. Roman gritted his teeth and stormed across the street, jaywalking as every rage-filled New Yorker should. 

In fact, he was so filled with rage that he barely noticed the car screeching at an improbably high speed through the fog until it was practically– and literally– on top of him. All he really had time to process were blinding bright headlights, a brief feeling of weightlessness, followed by a horrible pain in his neck and a very sudden lack of air. There was an extremely loud cracking noise that rang through his skull, and then  _ silence _ . 

~

A rough hand shook Roman’s shoulder. “Hnnnnnnng, five more minutes,” He grumbled, weakly swatting the intrusion away. The tiny, reasonable part of his brain knew that he had wake up now, five minutes could easily turn into thirty, and he couldn’t afford to be late to work again because he hadn’t gotten any callbacks in a while and if he got fired he would have to move back in with Remus in order to stay near broadway and his brother would  _ never _ let him hear the end of that–

It was at this moment that the tiny, reasonable part of Roman’s brain took into account that he had not been awakened by his typical alarm clock, but a  _ hand _ that very much did not belong in his apartment. Roman gasped, his eyes snapping open. 

He was very much not in his apartment. Instead of a bed, he was lying on the cold asphalt, city lights shining on the black surface. Lifting his head, Roman could see the bakery he was heeded to, only a few feet away. He remembered, with perfect clarity, going to bury his rage in sugar. Then there was a very brief feeling of fear, being paralyzed like a deer in the headlights. And then… he had taken a nap?

“Excuse me, but it’s probably not ideal for you to be lying in the middle of the road…” a smooth voice said from above him. Someone was gently grabbing his arm, guiding him to a standing position with a delicate firmness. Roman gratefully accepted the help up. There was something odd about the kind stranger… despite the lights of the city glaring all around them, he seemed to be almost entirely shrouded in darkness, a shadow given life (Although it was probably a trick of the light or a side effect of the head trauma or something). In fact, the only prominent feature he noticed was the stranger’s eyes, which were golden and almost glowing. Roman’s breath caught in his throat, and he made a rather undignified strangled noise. 

The man smirked. “Yes, you’re very welcome, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He was practically purring. For a brief second, all of Roman’s coherent thoughts were replaced by homosexual internal screaming. “Anyway,” the shadow continued, “I recommend not looking down, if you value your mental stability.” 

Roman blinked. There was only one thing that could tear his eyes away from the stranger’s golden gaze, and that was an oddly specific warning that was irresistible to a curious dumbass like himself. Almost on instinct, he glanced downwards. 

It took Roman a second to fully realize what he was looking at. “Is that… some kind of mannequin? It looks so lifelike, I don’t understand–” Roman began to say, before abruptly cutting himself off, because he suddenly  _ did _ . 

The man hissed in frustration. “I warned you, didn’t I?” 

Roman didn’t respond. He was too busy looking at himself, lying on the pavement below him, broken and frail like a discarded china doll. “But… but I’m here. I’m still here, I can’t be… I’m right here!” A laugh bubbled out of his chest, more hysteria than humor. He gestured wildly at the “This– this can’t be happening– that isn’t me!” 

The shadow sighed, exhausted. “I’m terribly sorry. Come inside, it really won’t do to dwell on such a tragic event.” His voice was soft as he took Roman’s hand in his own and began to lead him away, towards the theater. Roman allowed himself to be tugged along, floating behind the stranger like a child’s balloon. Part of him wanted to look himself over, see if he was translucent and shiny like in the movies; a larger part was too scared to do anything but squeeze his eyes shut and hope the image of his broken form would eventually fade from his memory. He knew that thinking about it too hard would cause him to spiral deeper, so he forced himself to focus only on the gentle yet persistent tug of the stranger’s hand against his. The stranger’s grip seemed to be growing firmer, which helped anchor Roman in what he assumed was reality. It was entirely possible that all of this was a dream, of course, some sort of twisted nightmare… but deep down, he knew that wasn’t the case. 

Every once in a while, something would break Roman’s concentration– he’d feel a shiver, a spasm, a sensation not easy to describe that only lasted a second but still made him squeeze the stranger’s hand tighter. He trusted the stranger, for some unknown reason. More than he trusted himself, anyway. Which is why he kept his eyes stubbornly closed until the stranger told him: “Alright, we’re here. If you’re not afraid of heights, you can have a look around.”

Roman gingerly opened his eyes. The stranger was standing in front of him, still watching with those wonderfully golden eyes. There was more substance to his form now, though– Roman could make out that he was dressed in a costume that looked like it was from Victorian London, complete with a swirling black cape and bowler hat. His face was still mostly obscured by shadows, making his eyes glow brighter. He also held a long, thin cane in one hand, which seemed to be more for aesthetic than support. The stranger had taken Roman to the roof of the movie theater, by the looks of it. Despite the circumstances, Roman couldn’t help but smile a bit as he looked across a sea of neon lights that lit up the night and towering skyscrapers that loomed overhead. It really was beautiful at night… 

Roman sighed. Despite the cold, no smoke drifted out of his mouth. “...I’m not really breathing anymore, am I?” he said to no one in particular. 

“Unfortunately not,” the stranger responded. “I’m sorry for your loss.” He sounded polite yet distant, the tone one would use to address someone whose pet fish had gone belly-up. A shame, sure, but life goes on. 

Until, of course, it doesn’t. 

Roman took what he knew wasn’t quite a deep breath in. He could see the city lights, the thin iron railing lining the roof, the large machines that supplied air conditioning through the theater, the discarded candy bar wrappers that skittered along the roof’s paved surface in the wind and the stubborn moon that looked like a precious silver coin in the sky but would transform into a speck of white anytime Roman tried to photograph it. He could still somehow feel the smooth leather of his jacket, the ground beneath his feet, and the whipping wind… after some deliberation, Roman decided to count the stranger’s hand in his, since the memory of the touch was still ingrained in his brain, and probably would be for a while. Three things he could hear was much less difficult, as New York was always loud– he could hear the whispers of the wind, the honking of cars streets away, and the faint sound of a siren– no, that didn’t help, Roman focused on the humming of the machines behind him. Machines. Cars. Wind. He could smell the rain coming in on the horizon and the tantalizing scent of buttered popcorn from the theater below. And taste… he couldn’t taste much of anything, being honest. But that didn’t matter, he was calm. Calm enough to remember his manners, anyway. 

He turned back to the golden-eyed shadow and offered his hand. “Thank you for… getting me out of there. For taking me here. I’m Roman Reyes.” 

Without missing a beat, the accepted Roman’s handshake with a soft yellow glove. “Janus Mendax. A shame we couldn’t have met under better circumstances.”

“Heh. Yeah,” Roman said lamely. There was a beat of silence, with Roman awkwardly trying to avoid staring at Janus’s unreadable expression and shining eyes. After what felt like an eternity Roman lamely stumbled out “... You come here often?”

Janus blinked. “Well. Yes. The theater is my home, and I like to spend most of my time here because there’s not a lot of humans. And the view is nice, I suppose.”

“Ah. Cool!” Roman said politely, having not been able to come up with anything else substantial. There was another stretch of silence, during which Roman cursed the fact that his go-to conversation starter involved asking what someone did for a living. “So, uh… when did you die?” 

Janus squinted at him critically. “What gave you the idea I was dead in the first place?” 

“Oh! Oh I’m really sorry, I didn’t– didn’t mean anything by it–” Roman stammered, embarrassed. “I– I mean I thought you might be a ghost also– I mean, I’m also assuming that I’m a ghost, which I guess I don’t know for sure, this is all very confusing and I don’t really know what’s happening and I’m just a little freaked out–”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Janus cut off Roman’s spiral with a gleaming flash of a grin on his face. “I was just messing with you. I’m a ghost, just like you. I died in 1974.”

Roman blinked. “Hey, wait, in a theater fire? I think I’ve heard of you!”

Janus’s golden eyes narrowed. “So I’m famous among the humans, hm? Out of curiosity... how much do you know about me?”

“Ah, just that you died in a fire in the 70s. And apparently you’re pretty big in the Manhattan ghosthunter scene.” 

Janus laughed, sounding a bit relieved. “Ah, that’s alright then. I guess it’s nice to know my antics have gained me a bit of limelight among the living…”

“Antics?” Roman asked. He had a feeling there was information that Janus was hiding about his past, but it seemed rude to pry considering they had only just met. 

“Well, this may come as quite a shock to you, but being stuck in the same place for almost 50 years can get a bit dull. Pranking moviegoers and messing with janitors is the most entertaining part of my day.”

“...I guess that’s as good a way as any to spend eternity?” Roman said with a shrug. 

“Hm. Well, it’s not technically eternity, no. Just until you’re ready to move on from whatever is tying you to this earthly plane,” Janus said plainly, as though that was something Roman should have understood immediately. 

“Sorry I’m asking so many questions, but, uh… I literally have no idea what that means.”

Janus sighed. “I assumed most humans were familiar with the ‘unfinished business’ portion of a ghost’s haunting, but I suppose I can elaborate.”

“No, I’ve heard of that, I just– I wasn’t murdered or anything!”

“Oh, it’s rarely that dramatic.” Janus rolled his eyes, but there was still an amused smile on his shadowy face. “It can be a little thing, like, I don’t know… recently finding out you were cheated on, or not finishing an important project, or even something as mundane as wanting to watch your kids or grandkids grow up. Even a minor inconvenience can cause one. It’s not really about levels of trauma, more… strong emotions, I think.”

“I mean, yeah, but nothing like that– OH, THAT  _ BITCH, _ ” Roman yelled suddenly, cutting himself off. Janus took a startled step backward, melding halfway through the iron railings. He didn’t even seem to notice, so Roman decided not to comment on it. Instead, he offered to explain himself: “This– this  _ stupid nerd _ Logan, we were supposed to go on a date tonight, which  _ he _ invited  _ me _ to, and he STOOD ME UP! You know, I probably wouldn’t have even died if it wasn’t for him! So he goes and ruins my evening and my afterlife, perfect, just  _ perfect _ .” Roman smiled angrily. “Oh, if I ever see that jerk again I’m going to go all paranormal activity on his ass, I swear to god!”

“Hm.,” Janus, having regained his composure, was staring at Roman with bemusement. “I highly doubt you would be able to pull off any kind of haunting, at least not now. And it doesn’t really matter, anyway, because I’m sure you’ll get over this perceived slight rather quickly–”

“Uh, no way!” Roman protested. “I’m a goddamn ghost now! I literally have nothing better to do than get vengeance on his soul!”

“Even if he returns here, which is doubtful,” Janus said dryly, annoyed at having been interrupted, “You are by no means strong enough to do… well, much of anything, actually. I don’t think you could even create a small breeze, let alone pull off an entire haunting.”

“Well, there’s no need to be  _ rude _ about it,” Roman huffed, crossing his arms. “And besides, I’ve never even tried it before! How could you know I was bad until I’ve had a chance to prove myself!”

Janus laughed. “You sound like the protagonist of a movie for children. But alright, if you do insist, how about handing me that Twix wrapper on the ground?” He gestured with his cane towards a golden glint on the roof. 

“Easy!” Roman eagerly. Without really thinking about it, he reached down for the scrap of plastic. However, he found that his hand drifted straight through the wrapper, giving him the same tingling sensation he had felt before. “Hm. Wait, there’s gotta be some way to… huh.” Roman tried a few more times, to no avail. Finally, he stood up. “Alright, well… how do I know it's even possible to do something like that, huh?”

Janus rolled his eyes again. Instead of answering, he unbuttoned his cloak and allowed it to drift off of him. With a flick of his hand, the cloak suddenly transformed into a shadowy snake, which struck the wrapper with a burst of energy. It twisted across the floor, wrapper clenched in its jaws, before slithering back to its master. Janus picked up the serpent, allowing it to coil lazily around his neck as he plucked the wrapper from its mouth. He held it out to Roman, twirling it lazily in his fingers. “Do you want it?”

“...Show-off,” Roman grumbled, but he couldn’t stay mad at such a cool trick for long. “How did you do that? Is the snake sentient? Can we as ghosts create life on command, because that would be AWESOME– hey, also can you teach me to do that? Please?”

Janus bowed like a model performer. “It’s simple, really,” He said smoothly, “I merely temporarily separated a portion of my spectral form from my core, transformed it into an aesthetically pleasing shape, then made that portion corporeal so that I could manipulate exterior forces. Really,  _ a child _ could do it.” 

“So you could teach me how to do that? Because it was really quite fantastic!” Roman said earnestly. 

Janus tilted the rim of his hat downward; kind of unnecessary, considering his face was still mostly darkness, but Roman chose to believe it was a reflex to cover up a blush. “Thank you, but I’m not sure I have time to be your wise mentor,” He said stubbornly, as his snake melted back into a cloak and he turned his back on Roman. 

“Aw, come on! You said it yourself, being a ghost is boring. We could stick together, right? And at least be less bored?”

Janus seemed to tense up when Roman brought up staying together, and for a moment Roman was afraid his stillness indicated anger. However, Janus soon turned back to the other ghost with an exasperated sigh. “You… aren’t wrong. And it would pain me to allow a ghost with this much ignorance about– well, practically everything to roam the halls of my theater.” 

Roman decided not to take offense at this remark, instead accepting the win and accept the handshake with excitement: “Hey, I know we just met, and I already owe you for rescuing me and all that, so you really didn’t have to do this, so thank you  _ so _ much–”

“If you talk too much, I may change my mind,” Janus said, and Roman snapped his jaw shut. “You have a lot to learn, and not a lot of time to learn it, so listen close, and try not to interrupt me. Do you think you can manage that?”

Roman nodded enthusiastically. “I can promise you… I’ll be very o _ boo _ dient!”

Janus visibly cringed. “That was atrocious.”

“Yeah, It wasn’t my best. How  _ mortifying. _ ” Roman grinned and shot two finger guns at Janus.

“Ok, one more pun and you are dead to me,” Janus growled.

“I’m pretty sure I’m dead to everyone, Jan.” Roman followed Janus’s floating form as it dissipated through the door to the roof and began to descend the stairs. 

“Wh– oh, you know what I meant! And  _ don’t call me that! _ ” 

~

Roman studied his spectral form in the mirror. It was still a bit disconcerting to be so  _ translucent–  _ if he wanted to, Roman could have counted the bathroom stalls directly behind him as though looking through an early morning mist. His original spectral form had taken the shape of his corpse, fatal neck wound and all, but it had been fairly easy to change himself into a normal-looking Roman (or an above-average looking human). Janus had explained that looking like himself was the easiest form to maintain because that’s what he _ expects _ himself to look like– being confined to a human body for so long made everyone look a certain way, like a statue mold. Or something. Roman still wasn’t sure if he understood the why of it all, or if Janus was just making it up as he went along to sound smart. Still, he was thankful that he had died on what was going to be a date, so at least the outfit he was stuck in for all of eternity was on point. The only disappointing bit was that he was completely grayscale, as if he had stepped out of a photo from the 1920s.  _ But he was going to change that… _

_ It’s a bit like lucid dreaming, if you’re familiar with that concept. You have to understand that your appearance is just your soul, and you control your soul. Just picture what you want yourself too look like, and make yourself change. You have to focus, but don’t overthink it. And start simple– it took me years to be able to do tricks with illusions like the snake. _ Janus’s words echoed in Roman’s mind as he stared his reflection down.  _ Red. I want red. They are red. Red. Red.  _

Roman’s eyes suddenly flickered, briefly dissipating into white smoke. Roman gasped as they quickly reformed on his face, this time glowing scarlet. He blinked a few times, and his new altered appearance held its hue. Roman squealed in delight and skipped out of the bathroom, even allowing himself to float a bit down the hall (moving without actually  _ moving _ took some getting used to, but it was kind of fun! Like riding one of those old hoverboards, but without the risk of explosion hovering over you at any given moment). “Hey, Janus! I finally did it!”

Janus was leaning against the counter of the theater’s concession stand, leisurely tossing M&Ms into his mouth and ignoring them as they fall against the carpeted floor. Roman grinned at him and batted his eyes. “I got some rubies to match your gold! What do you think?”

Janus snickered. “You look like a lab rat, Roman.” He tossed another snack into his mouth– although  _ through _ his mouth was more accurate. Roman pouted, folding his arms, and Janus reluctantly backtracked his critique. “I suppose it’s not bad for a first attempt, especially since you’ve only been dead for a day. They are quite… shiny.”

“They glisten like jewels in the light of the sun, but I suppose your description was adequate– alright, I have to ask. Why are you pretending to eat things?”

Janus smirked. “Well, partially because if you make your mouth corporeal for long enough you can actually taste things, and these are delicious,” He said, putting the now empty box on the counter. “But also because it confuses the hell out of the staff.”

Roman drifted next to Janus, hoisting himself onto the counter. “You’ll have to teach me how to do that!” He said brightly. 

“I believe you’d have to be able to lift the candy first…”

“I’m trying my best, alright?” Roman complained. He reached for the box Janus had left on the counter, and frowned as his hand phased through it. “Come on… if I can just focus…”

Roman’s concentration was broken by the sound of an elevator door sliding open. He reflexively hid behind the counter to avoid being seen by the staff member, who was probably here to open up the theater. 

Janus laughed, peeking behind the counter. “You know she can’t see you, yes? You’re a ghost.”

“Oh. Er. Right.” Roman stood up, embarrassed, and dusted himself off. “I didn’t forget. Heh.” Remembering the extent of his powers now, he dissipated to the other side of the counter. 

The staff member blankly stared at Janus’s pile of candies on the floor for a beat, before muttering something about the “damn rat problem, I  _ told _ Remy to hire an exterminator” and going to get a broom. 

“Who's the rat  _ now _ ?” Roman asked. 

Janus just smiled and rolled his eyes. “It really is quite amazing, to think of the lengths humans will go to ignore the supernatural.”

“Can you appear to humans? Like, is it possible?” Roman asked.

“It is, but it’s exhausting. I only do it to the ones who don’t always write it off as some sort of hallucination or a trick of the light. Rarely worth the effort, you know? Some people wouldn’t believe in the supernatural if a ghost literally murdered them _. _ ” To prove his point, Janus picked an M&M off of the ground and threw it at the back of the employee’s head. She turned, startled for a moment, before shaking her head and continuing on with her business. 

“Wow. If this was a horror movie, she’d be  _ super _ dead.”

“Speaking of movies,” Janus said calmly, eyes still on the counter’s shining surface, “Would you want to see one with me later? The theater is about to open– no new releases in a while, unfortunately, but it might be fun to view one with company for a change…”

Roman smiled. “Are you asking me out on a date, Janus?”

Janus sighed, still stubbornly avoiding Roman’s eyes. “Watching films is literally the only thing to do around here, Roman. Don’t get any ideas.”

“Ah. Right.” Roman was suddenly very glad he couldn’t blush anymore. “I mean, even if it's not a date, it sounds fun! And I’ve been practicing ghost stuff for practically 24 whole hours, I’d say I deserve a break!”

“Wonderful.” Janus slid off the counter, catching Roman off-guard with his hypnotizing gaze once again. With a swirl of his cloak, he bowed slightly and extended a hand towards Roman like a proper gentleman. “Shall we?” He inquired, his voice rich and dark. 

Roman was suddenly very,  _ very _ glad he couldn’t blush anymore. 

~

“So… why are we up here, again?”

Roman shrugged. “I always thought it would be fun to watch a movie from the projection booth, you know? There’s something so whimsical and… I don’t know, atmospheric? It’s just… I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”  _ Romantic  _ was another word Roman was tempted to use, but he honestly wasn’t sure how Janus would react. He wasn’t sure how he _ wanted _ Janus to react. Honestly, so much had happened in the three days since Roman had d– since he’d met Janus that he hadn’t had much time to dissect his exact feelings for his fellow ghost. He was charming, almost to an excess… but Roman had no proof that he wasn’t like that with  _ everyone _ . Actually, there wasn’t much he knew about Janus’s past, other than that he was an actor and he died in a fire. Roman had once asked what traumatic event had caused him to remain a ghost for almost half a decade, but he wasn’t surprised when Janus grimaced and declined to answer. 

It was weird, then, that Roman found himself falling in love. Love couldn’t be the right word– love didn’t just spring up after three days, love didn’t appear in someone who you knew nothing about, love didn’t happen to ghosts. And yet, Roman had to dedicate all of his willpower to resist the urge to reach out and hold Janus’s hand. He was probably just being a hopeless romantic. It was probably best to just focus on the movie and not think about Janus. 

It wasn’t even a romantic movie– quite the opposite, in fact. Some kind of gory slasher. Roman pointedly turned his attention to the screen, where a masked murderer was busy slashing the throat of some unsuspecting blonde. Janus hissed, wincing. 

“Not a fan of gore?” Roman asked above the exaggerated violins.

Janus rolled his eyes. “Well, excuse me for retaining a bit of empathy. Maybe you should be asking yourself why you  _ aren’t  _ bothered by this gratuitous display of carnage, hm?”

Roman chuckled. “Eh, Remus is really into these kinds of things. I got desensitized by proxy.”

“Sorry, who’s Remus?” Janus asked. 

“Oh! I didn’t mention him?” Roman shook his head. It seemed there was a lot Janus didn’t know about _ him _ as well. “Remus is my twin brother. He lives in New York too, he’s actually going through medical school. Can’t believe I forgot…” Roman trailed off before he could finish the sentence. Because he really had  _ forgotten _ his brother. He had been gone for three days, and he hadn’t even begun to think about what that meant for the people he left behind. “He– uh. He loved these kinds of horror movies. We used to watch them together. As kids. He’d steal them from the video rental, because they were all rated R, and we’d watch them late at night so we wouldn’t get caught. And then neither of us would sleep for the rest of the night, so we’d– He was always braver than me, he’d always tell me stories, about our stuffed animals coming to life and protecting us, and…” Roman felt his voice waver, and he cut himself off. It was such a childish memory, stupid, really, but… but it was gone. But he was gone. He was never going to see a movie with his brother ever again.  _ It’s over. _ Somehow that hadn’t sunk in, not really, until just now.

“Roman. Roman, listen to me…” Roman knew Janus was speaking to him, but his voice sounded miles and miles away. Roman was shaking, shuddering, sobbing. He was never going to text his brother again, never going to get another callback again, never going to visit Europe, never going to get married,  _ never never never, _ he was drowning in his own finality and he couldn’t  _ breathe. _

Roman clawed at his neck, which he could feel twisting and bending in ways it shouldn’t. His palms felt wet, they were coated in something sticky that made it hard to hold on to anything. He was crying, he was gasping, it wouldn’t stop, this was wrong, he was wrong, hurting, bad,  _ gone– _

Two warm hands grabbed Roman’s own, pulling them away from his neck, holding them tight. Roman made a strangled noise, trying to pull away (he can’t be  _ held, _ he can’t be  _ anything, _ he’s  _ gone, gone, gone _ ) but the grip remained firm. “ _ Roman, _ ” A now familiar voice called out, “ _ Focus on me, okay? _ ” 

Roman wasn’t sure what else he could do (he couldn’t do  _ anything, not anymore _ ), so he focused on the feeling of the hands in his. The touch was real, present, an anchor. Roman clung to it, clung to Janus’s voice as he soothingly said, “You’re okay, Roman, you’re okay, you’re here.”

Roman swallowed. He was here. 

The world was slowly coming back into focus. The movie was still playing, as a team of misfortunate teens hunched over a table littered with old newspaper clippings and polaroid photographs. The audience rustled, whispered, crunched on popcorn, the sounds gathering in a sea below the two. And Janus was up here, with him, slowly rubbing circles into his palms. The specter noticed Roman looking at him and smiled warmly. “Are you feeling better now?”

Roman made an odd noise halfway between a laugh and a sob, wiping a stray remaining tear from his face. “Yeah, I… I don’t know what that was, I’m sorry, that was stupid–”

“Not really,” Janus said simply. “I would say that having a mental breakdown is rather appropriate, considering what you’ve been through.”

“But–”

“Roman.” Janus was able to cut the prince off with a sharp look. “Listen. You’ve just died. I think we can agree that’s one of the most traumatic experiences you can go through. And you lasted three days without falling apart, had a brief panic attack, and then easily calmed down with some help. Given the circumstances, that is not only a sane reaction but also extremely brave.”

“I don’t feel brave,” Roman muttered, “Especially since I keep having to be rescued by you.”

Janus smiled. “It’s no trouble… it’s nice to be a knight in shining armor for someone, anyway. Er, not that I enjoy it when you’re panicking–” Janus suddenly stammered. “It’s not– I don’t have a savior complex or anything, I just–”

“It’s okay,” Roman said softly, his voice still a little raw. “I understand what you meant. Thank you, I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you.”

Janus tilted his hat down with one hand, turning back to face the movie. “I suppose your company is enough.” 

Roman, too, turned his head back to the screen. He tried not to think too hard about his death– there would come a time for that, but it was the kind of idea he wanted to take in small doses. He also tried not to think too hard about the fact that Janus, despite everything, was still holding his hand tightly. 

~

Remy  Siege l was too tired for this. Roman watched the theater employee sympathetically as he sluggishly climbed the stairs of the theater, sweeping up popcorn with a pained grimace on his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept since the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire, and the sunglasses he was wearing– indoors, at night, as if that wasn’t suspicious– weren’t enough to hide his bloodshot eyes. Just looking at him was enough to give someone a headache and ask to turn down the music. Roman turned towards Janus, concerned. “Come on, he looks like he’s been through hell. Have some sympathy.”

Janus snorted. “He’s probably just hungover. If he didn’t want to be tired, he should have gotten a full night’s sleep– and if he didn’t want to get jumpscared, he shouldn’t have come into my domain on the night of a full moon.” His voice was somehow stone-cold serious when he said that, while Roman was already laughing. 

“You time your hauntings around the lunar calendar? Oh my god, that’s so  _ extra. _ ”

“Oh, yes, because you yourself are never dramatic for drama’s sake.” Janus bristled. “Besides, creating a narrative– a pattern– is probably why I’m so famous with the ghosthunters like you said. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a reputation to uphold.”

Roman’s laughter slowly faded. “Alright, I suppose– just don’t go too hard on him, alright? I kinda like this one.”

“Yes, yes, I won’t murder him or anything.” Janus waved Roman off, starting to float closer to the unsuspecting janitor. Remy was distracted, obliviously lip-synching to the generic pop song playing from his phone (evidently he was too tired to plug in his headphones– which was a shame since the song wasn’t exactly good for the spooky mood), every once in a while taking a break to mumble complaints about moviegoers cleanliness. Janus glided up behind him, his form already shimmering and shifting. His eyes grew and dilated until they looked like a snake’s, and his mouth began to fill with needle-sharp fangs and overflow with a dark red liquid. He raised his hand, now clawed and covered in scales, reached out and grazed Remy’s neck. Remy flinched, startled, and turned around slowly.

Janus flicked an ink-black tongue at Remy and hissed “Ssssalutations, Sssssiegel,” 

Remy stared at Janus for a beat, stunned into silence. After he gained the ability to move again (and with Janus still staring daggers into him) he calmly said “Not today, Satan,” and power-walked out of the theater. 

Roman exploded with laughter. “Now that is someone who would survive a horror movie!” He applauded. “God, I knew there was a reason I liked him!”

“Yeah, he really meant business. Didn’t even take his phone with him.” Janus gestured to the electronic device, still resting on one of the velvety chairs of the theater. He picked it up, frowning when a passcode restricted him from doing anything else. “I guess the true punishment for my ghost crimes is having to listen to this music. Although I suppose we could smash the phone…”

“No wait, this is a good song!” Roman was already standing up, familiar music filling his ears. The song wasn’t special, just another generic pop song that was looped to the point of exhaustion a few summers ago, and had since receded into the pits of nostalgia and karaoke. But it was bright and simple, easy to dance to and nearly impossible not to sing with. With a giddy spin through the air, Roman added his own harmonies to the melody. He was delighted to discover that his voice was unaffected by his movement (another perk of being a ghost, he figured) and twirled faster, watching his skirt blossom up around him. Tiny sparkles flew off of him and into the air, almost as bright as his smile. 

“Careful, you’ll get dizzy,” Janus warned, watching Roman with a bemused smile as he leaned against the wall. 

Roman giggled, feeling light as air. There was something about this– about the nostalgia-soaked song and his glittery skirt and his dizzying delighted spiral, that was almost intoxicating. It made him feel almost drunk with joy. Looking back, Roman must have been drunk, or else mad; there was no way he would have had the courage to grab Janus’s hands and pull him up from the wall and onto the makeshift dance floor otherwise. And yet, here he was– once again, holding Janus’s hands and thinking of absolutely nothing but  _ oh wow I really am a homosexual _ .

At least this time Janus seemed similarly flustered– his eyes were wide, and the shadows obscuring his face flickered and shifted sporadically. “...Roman?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking!” Roman stammered, releasing Janus’s hands. Or at least, he tried to– but Janus didn’t let go. 

“You could have just asked me to dance, you know,” Janus said softly, pulling Roman a bit closer. 

“Oh! Uh, alright!” Roman heard himself reply, although he wasn’t quite sure how he managed it. “So, do you wanna dance?”

Janus shrugged. “Why not?”

“Uh, cool! Awesome! Fantastic!” Roman said a bit too loudly. 

“I’m not very familiar with this song, however,” Janus said, having recovered from his previous embarrassment and regained his silky voice and annoyingly attractive smirk. “You’ll have to lead…”

_ Ok, Roman. There is no heterosexual explanation for any of this. He’s clearly into you. So turn on that flirt! Your nickname is Prince Charming, goddammit! You can do this!  _

Mustering up every last ounce of courage he had, Roman looked Janus right in the eye, smiled at in what he hoped was a seductive manner, and replied “If you insist!” 

Roman started out slowly, making sure his partner got a grasp of the rhythm. Unfortunately, he wasn’t trained in any sort of partner dance, and it wasn’t as though the song was made for waltzing, but Roman had seen enough Disney movies to get the general gist of moving yourself and your partner together. The pair spun around slowly, circling each other and the room in gracefully calm orbits. Eventually, though, the song’s energy and Roman’s unresolved nerves caused him to speed up. Janus just grinned and matched his speed, even daring to increase it. Soon, the two were twirling through the song like a twister, and it felt fantastic. Roman continued to let sparkles fly off of his skirt, which Janus noticed and promptly one-upped by bringing all of the glittering dots to his hand like a magnet attracting metal files before they abruptly exploded outwards, creating a night sky’s worth of stars above the two. Roman gasped at the beauty as delicate glowing lines began to form between each sparkle, forming intricately designed constellations. Without really meaning to, he began to float upwards to be closer to the beauty above him, pulling Janus with him. The two danced their way across the sky. Roman was absolutely captivated by the beauty around them and didn’t quite notice that his own awestruck smiles had captivated someone else. 

The song was reaching its conclusion– Roman knew it was coming, and he felt a bit of disappointment that such an utterly perfect moment would soon be over. Still, it was time for the big finale. _ Now or never, Prince Charming. _

With a sweep of his arm, Roman twirled Janus outwards before quickly pulling him back in. And suddenly, Janus was  _ close _ . Close enough that electricity flew between them, close enough that they might melt into each other, close enough to  _ kiss _ – 

That was the plan, anyway. That had been Roman’s plan. Really, it was more like a fantasy that was very suddenly  _ real _ . He honestly hadn't thought he’d make it this far. And he was suddenly frozen solid. 

But he couldn’t just do nothing. After all, Janus was staring at him with those wide golden eyes and his goddamn unreadable face and every millisecond that passed felt like a swarm of insects crawling around in his chest cavity and he had to do _ something– _

So Roman reached out and snatched Janus’s hat, putting it on his own head. Even in death, the depth that his gay panics could plunge him into continued to surprise him. It would have probably been one of his lowest moments if the shadows that obscured Janus’s face hadn’t suddenly been revealed. And… well, he wasn’t  _ spectacularly _ handsome, nor was he horribly disfigured like Roman had assumed (although he remembered much later that ghosts could shapeshift, so of course he wouldn’t have been). But for just a moment, the raw expression on his face filled Roman with warmth. He looked  _ starstruck _ . His face dissipated into a more embarrassed grimace soon after, but not before Roman had time to say “I don’t know why you hide such a stunning face from the world!”

Janus smirked– Roman could actually see it now, and it was just as homoerotic as he had imagined– and snatched his hat back. “It adds to my mysterious persona, obviously. But I suppose you know enough about me that it's no longer necessary.” 

“I barely know anything about you, though?”

“And barely is more than enough,” Janus said definitely, putting his hat back on tilted upwards. He awkwardly stepped away from Roman, and the latter tried not to feel a pang of disappointment in his stomach. The butterflies were still flapping around in there, there wasn’t room for much else. Roman began to sink back to the floor, watching as the stars in the air flew back towards him. 

“Er, actually. There is something else you should know. About me.” Janus floated down next to him. 

Roman’s metaphorical heart leaped into his throat. “Y–yeah? What’s wrong?”

Janus looked towards the floor. “The last time…” He began, his voice unsure. “The last time someone, ah, made me feel this kind of way… it didn’t end particularly well.” 

Roman opened his mouth to respond, but Janus held up a hand. “Before you ask– no, I don’t want to talk about it, and I know it isn’t fair to compare you to someone else who made one bad choice fifty years ago. But– listen, nothing would give me greater joy than jumping into this whirlwind of an undead romance novel with you, but I don’t know if I’d be comfortable doing that just yet. Maybe after we’ve known each other for more than five days?” 

“Oh! Yeah, of course, that’s fine! Sorry, I didn’t mean to rush you or anything!” Roman apologized. “And I mean, we literally have all the time in the world, right?”

Janus smiled at him. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Thank you for understanding.”

Roman shrugged. “It’s no problem. Besides, I’m pleased enough that you admitted you like me.”

Janus rolled his eyes. “Oh, as if you hadn’t been googling me since day one.”

“Wh– I– you noticed?” Roman stammered, embarrassed.

Janus laughed. “You’re not the most subtle spirit, Roman. Honestly, though, I’m flattered.” 

Roman didn’t have time to respond though (which may have been a good thing, since he was clearly losing this verbal sparring match) when two movie theater employees entered the theater, one of which was complaining  _ very _ loudly. “I swear to god, I’m serious! There was a giant reptile thing, it tried to kill me–”

“I literally don’t know what is wrong with you. Are you still drunk from last night?”

“You’re just jealous ‘cause I actually  _ go _ to parties– and please take this seriously, Corbin, I literally almost got killed.”

Corbin rolled his eyes. “Oh boy, I sure hope some _ evil spirits _ don’t try to harm me and my friend here, that would be just  _ horrible. _ ” 

“Well excuse you, we are not  _ evil! _ ” Roman said to no one in particular. “And besides, you kind of just killed the mood, so you don’t deserve a fun ghost encounter.” 

Corbin walked over to the phone and snatched it up while Remy loitered near the entrance. “There’s literally nothing here, Remy. See? It’s fine. God, you are such an idiot. And you’ve been acting weird since Andy dumped you–”

“Can we please just get out of here? And maybe not talk about my ex-boyfriend?” Roman could  _ taste _ the salt in Remy’s tone. 

The two began to leave the theater, but not before Janus whispered “Boo” in Remy’s ear just quiet enough to make him seem crazy for jumping about a foot in the air. 

“Oh, now you’re just being mean,” Roman teased.

“Didn’t you hear? I’m an evil spirit.”

“Aw, I think you’re alright,” Roman said, before drifting out the door to follow the employees. Janus took a second for himself to smile, bright and warm, before following him. 

~

The theater was oddly crowded that night. Roman floated through the throng of people, occasionally ruffling their hair with satisfaction. He was only able to generate a small breeze, but that still wasn’t bad for only a week! “You know, it’s my week anniversary!” Roman mentioned to Janus, who was lazily floating above the crowd. 

“Heh. I remember when I used to keep count.” 

Roman ignored the comment, continuing to fly through the theater. “Wonder why there are so many people today?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard?” Janus gestured towards a poster hanging on the theater’s wall with a smug expression. “The new  _ Trek Wars _ movie comes out today. It’s a very popular franchise, I’m surprised you hadn’t heard of it considering you were, you know, alive in the 21st century.”

“Oh, sorry I’m not a huge nerd,” Roman snarked back, floating towards the poster to inspect it further. “Although, I’ll at least give you that the guy in the green armor is a delicious-looking snack.”

“Careful, Roman. You may make me jealous.” 

Fortunately, Roman was a little too preoccupied to be hit with the full effect of Janus’s flirtation– it might have sent him into cardiac arrest, nevermind that he no longer had a heart. Roman stared at the date on the poster, frowning. “Is that today’s date?” He asked.

Janus just shrugged. “I don’t really keep track of time as I said… but given context clues, I would assume so.”

“Oh,” Romain said plainly. And then, a bit louder, “Fuck.”

“Why, what’s the matter?” Janus didn’t have time to finish the question before Roman sped out of the theater. “Hey! Where are you going?”

Roman didn’t respond. He was already outside, frantically looking through the crowd, scanning every face until he finally found the familiar face he was looking for. “Ah…  _ fuck! _ ”

Logan, of course, didn’t hear him. He was too busy searching through the sea of people with a disappointed-but-not-surprised look on his face. Roman facepalmed as Logan fruitlessly checked his phone for what was probably the five hundredth time. 

“Roman!” Janus called, his voice a bit more echoey and distorted than usual. “Are you– is everything ok? What happened?”

Roman laughed dryly. He gestured to Logan, who was now preoccupied with fiddling with the two tickets in his hand. “That’s my date. Logan didn’t stand me up– I just had the wrong Saturday! Agh, I’m such an _ idiot! _ ” He chuckled again, putting his head in his hands. Because it was kind of funny, in a way. The kind of misunderstanding that you might see in a sitcom. 

“Oh.” Janus sounded brittle. “So… that’s it, then?”

Roman shrugged, watching as Logan grew more and more disheartened. “God, and now he thinks I’m standing him up. This is horrible. I mean, the dramatic irony is on point, but it’s still just awful.”

Logan sighed, checking the time once more. The movie was going to start soon. Roman guiltily thought of the poor nerd sitting alone in the theater, probably not even able to enjoy the experience without thinking of his rejection. Roman bit his lip, guilt swirling around him. If only there was some way he could–

“Right, right, good luck in there! Hope ya don’t get trampled to death or something!” A familiar voice cut through the crowd. Roman recognized the employee Janus had spooked a few days ago– Remy something?– saying goodbye to one of his fellow workers and making his way out of the theater. An idea suddenly sprang into Roman’s mind. Just because he wasn’t free didn’t mean Logan couldn’t enjoy a date. If only there was some twist of fate that could orchestrate a meet-cute between him and another newly single homosexual. Roman grinned mischievously, his eyes darting from Logan to Remy.  _ If only… _

Roman swiped his hand at Logan’s tickets, sending them flying out of his hands. Logan yelped as what he could only assume was a very persistent gust of wind carried his tickets through the air, twirling and twisting out of his grasp until they slapped Remy in the face with all the subtlety of a fire truck. “Oh, I– I’m so sorry sir, those are mine, my sincerest apologies–” Logan stammered, his face turning red. 

Remy looked Logan up and down as he returned his tickets. “No problem. Hope you and your hot date enjoy the flick.”

Logan sighed. “It’s… highly unlikely that my date is planning on showing up. I mean, he was way out of my league anyway, but– you know, it doesn’t really matter.”

Remy clicked his tongue, looking sympathetic. “Well, whoever he is, he clearly doesn’t have any sense of taste to turn you down.”

“Oh! I– I assure you, I’m nothing special–” Logan stammered, surprised. 

“Aw, don’t sell yourself short. You’re really cute.” Remy’s eyes flickered to the pair of tickets one last time, before giving Logan a smile. “Enjoy the movie.” 

Just as he was walking away (and Roman was about ready to scream) Logan had a sudden burst of confidence. “Uh, wait– Sorry, I don’t think I got your name!” 

Remy turned. “Yeah?”

“I, uh… this is very sudden, but I do have an extra ticket on me, so… um, if you’re not doing anything right now, and you wanted to see the movie with me, that would be very pleasant.”

Remy snorted. “ _ Pleasant? _ ”

“Er, sorry if my vernacular is a bit strange, and I understand if I’m being too forward–”

“Nah, it's cute! And lucky for you, I don’t have anything to do tonight.” Remy plucked one of the tickets from Logan’s hand. “Although as a movie theater employee, I’m allowed to see all the releases the day before, so I know who’s gonna die…”

Logan gasped. “Really?”

“Hah! No. But I can get us in through the back of the theater so we don’t have to wait in line. Follow me!” Remy began to walk confidently around the corner of the building. After a second of hesitation, Logan shrugged and followed him. 

Roman smiled. “Well, all’s well that ends well!” He turned to get Janus’s reaction to his incredible matchmaking skills… but the spirit wasn’t behind him anymore. “Janus? Hey, where’d you go?” 

Roman drifted through the crowd and back into the theater, but Janus was still nowhere to be found. “Janus? Hey, is this because I ran off so suddenly? Because I’m sorry about that, I wasn’t really thinking…”

There was no response. 

Roman frowned. It wasn’t as though the two had spent every waking moment together in the week, but it definitely wasn’t like Janus to just  _ disappear  _ like that. Was something wrong? If Janus was upset about something, Roman figured he would go to the roof… It was as good a place to look as any, Roman supposed. He floated upwards, ignoring the strange sensation as he passed through the floors until he was finally in open air. “Janus? Are you up here?”

“ _ Go away. _ ” 

Roman couldn’t see where the voice came from, but the tone still managed to sting. “Wh– Janus, are you ok?”

“ _ N– It doesn’t matter! Just leave! _ ” Janus shouted. His voice was distorting, and he sounded desperate. 

“Can you at least tell me–”

“ _ Roman. Please. _ ” 

Roman felt hollow. “Uh. Ok. I’ll give you some space,” He said awkwardly. He lingered for just a second, hoping Janus would say something (preferably along the lines of _ psych! _ ), but he was only met with icy silence. With one last forlorn sigh, he sank through the floor and to the lobby. 

~

Roman Reyes was prideful. He was foolish, quick to make mistakes and slow to recognize them. And he was becoming increasingly aware of how rejection could hurt, especially when he had no idea what he had done to deserve such scorn. But above all that, he was stubborn. And this time, he literally didn’t have anything better to do than wait for Janus. He didn’t want to intrude, of course– for all he knew, Janus had a perfectly reasonable explanation for wanting him gone, and either way everyone was entitled to privacy. But Roman wasn’t going to leave without an explanation or a chance to apologize for– for whatever he had done. Roman set himself up behind the snack counter, waiting for Janus to show up. 

He stayed there for three days. 

Three days doesn’t seem like a lot, especially not to a ghost, but to Roman it felt like an eternity and a half passed since he last saw Janus. He wasn’t really sure how he was going to handle the situation– his plans went from apologizing profusely and begging for forgiveness to angrily pelting Janus with candies until he admitted what a pretentious and mysterious bastard he was being (nevermind that he  _ still _ couldn’t pick up the candy, his rage would fuel him in the moment). He tried to write a speech for when they were finally reunited, but it was difficult without any paper. He also tried to distract himself by listening in on the employee’s daily lives, but other than the pleasant discovery that Remy and Logan’s impromptu date had gone well enough for the theater worker to add the contact “Hot Nerd Guy <3” to his phone, nothing was interesting enough to hold his attention. He practiced his haunting skills, eventually changing up his outfit to add a red sash and golden crown (he was still prince charming, after all)  and gaining enough corporeal traction to gently slide a quarter across the counter and come frighteningly close to actually fazing Sabrina for once. He thought about his brother without having a mental breakdown, and it was… nice, in the gut-wrenchingly-awful sort of way. He watched the sunset and the city lights eventually fade into a sunrise once again, which produced the same kind of feeling. And he continued to look at the city until suddenly, Janus was back. 

In the moment of shocked silence that passed between the two, the only thing Roman could remember was his distinct lack of a plan. Should he be apologetic? Snarky? Distant? Kind? Or maybe–

“What are you still doing here?” Janus asked, sounding shocked.

Roman inhaled unnecessarily. “Look, I just want to know why you want me gone, ok? Just… give me some kind of reason. Or something. I deserve that, right?”

Janus laughed, and it sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “Oh my god, you’re such an idiot…” He said, burying his head in his hands. 

“I– look, I don’t know what I did to you, but I think you’re being kind of a jerk right now, and–”

“You didn’t do anything, Roman! I don’t want you gone– you literally have no reason to be here right now! Your spirit has no reason to remain on this mortal coil! You don’t need to be a ghost anymore!”

Roman blinked. “I– what?”

“Look. Ghosts happen because you have something from your life that you can’t get over, something that keeps you from going to whatever afterlife you’re supposed to go to. And you said it yourself, yours was getting stood up by that guy, right? But you– no one would ever reject you, because you're  _ perfect _ , and you should know that now, so  _ why are you still here? _ ” Janus was definitely crying now, and he was flickering in and out like a candle in a hurricane. “ _ Why haven’t you just left like he did? _ ”

Roman watched as his form began to change. Shadowy black fabric began to melt away, revealing a frayed costume and burnt skin. Burn marks began to blossom on his face, until half of it was covered by the blistered marks. His eyes tarnished, becoming dull and hazel and so filled with fear… 

“Hey– hey Janus, are you okay?” Roman asked timidly, and then immediately felt like an idiot because  _ of course he wasn’t _ . Janus had folded in on himself, and he was trembling like a leaf. He muttered something weakly that Roman couldn’t hear, making himself smaller.

For a couple of terrible seconds, Roman was immobile. He had to help Janus, obviously… but he didn’t know how, and Janus was already burning up in front of him. He didn’t want to somehow make things worse… but he couldn’t just do  _ nothing _ . Not after the countless times Janus had pulled him out of the abyss. 

Roman remembered the feeling, of Janus’s hand in his. He had needed something to anchor him to reality… maybe Janus could benefit from the same thing? Roman slowly reached out, gently wrapping his hands around Janus’s burnt ones. Janus shuddered, and for a moment Roman was afraid he had hurt him, but Janus just grabbed Roman’s hands and pulled himself towards Roman, collapsing into him like a building caving in on itself. 

“Hey, hey, it’s ok, it’s gonna be okay,” Roman said softly. “I’m right here, ok? I’m right here. I’m not leaving.” Roman adjusted himself so that he was hugging Janus, holding him tight and secure in his arms. “I’m here. You’re not alone.”

“Hng– I don’t– you don’t have to–” Janus choked, before burying his face in Roman’s chest. 

“It’s okay, Janus. We’re okay.” Roman held him for a minute longer, until the trembling stilled. Roman asked tentatively, “Do you feel better now?”

Janus slowly unravels himself. His form had returned to normal– the real normal, without the golden eyes or supernatural shadows. He faced Roman with a startlingly earnest expression. “I know exactly what you’re going to say but… I really am sorry to fall apart on you like that. And I’m also sorry for hiding from you for three days– although to be fair, I didn't know you were still here. And honestly, I still don’t understand why you are, but… thanks.” He gave Roman a smile, tired but grateful. 

“No need to thank me– and it’s okay, that’s not the first time I’ve been ghosted,” Roman said, shooting Janus finger guns. 

Janus covered a giggle with his hand. “Oh my god, how dare you.”

Roman shrugged. “What are you gonna do? Kill me twice?”

“Don’t tempt me,” Janus bit back. After a brief pause, though, he asked: “Really, though, why haven’t you moved on with our death? What are you waiting for? Are you mad at the driver who killed you?”

“Oh. You know, I actually haven’t thought about that! Honestly, I’ve just spent these last three days waiting for you– oh, wait,” Roman answered, grinning. 

“You. You’re just sticking around for me?” Janus said quietly.

“I guess so!”

“I– you– could you stop being a loveable romantic idiot for all of  _ five seconds? _ ”

“No can do, Jan.” Roman replied, “Looks like you’re stuck with me!”

Janus laughed, then sighed contentedly. “...I’d still rather you not call me that, though. My, er, problematic ex used to use that name.”

“Oh yeah of course! I’m sorry, won’t happen again,” Roman apologized. 

Janus shrugged. “It’s not an issue. You’re nothing like him, that’s for sure. I’m sure you wouldn’t abandon me in a burning building.” Janus casually, as though it wasn’t a huge deal.

“He did WHAT?” Roman shouted, before quickly shutting himself up. “Er, I mean, that sounds personal and I don’t want to pry–”

“It’s alright, Roman,” Janus continued. “I haven’t really talked about it before… I mean, I try not to think about it… but it wasn’t even his fault, you know? I mean, everything was falling down around us, and– I mean, he saw I was stuck, but– it’s not as though it was his job to help me. He was just practicing a healthy amount of self-preservation. Not a big deal–”

“ARE YOU KIDDING?” Roman shouted again. “That’s– of course that’s a big deal! I mean, your death was like, a thousand times worse than mine, so if my feelings are valid than of course yours are too! And it doesn’t make you weak or pathetic to feel bad about the awful things that happen to you!”

“I never said I felt pathetic,” Janus mumbled, “But… thanks. Again. God, I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.” And then, a little louder; “But I’m glad I am. And I’m glad you decided to stay, Roman.” He leaned over and took Roman’s hand in his own, and his hazel eyes melted into him.

“Heh… and I thought your eyes were pretty before…” The words sort of slipped out of Roman’s mouth, but he was happy with the bashful smile it put on Janus’s face. 

“Ah… I completely forgot about that. How about a compromise, then?” The spirit said. He blinked, and suddenly one of his eyes was bright gold. 

Roman blinked as well, getting rid of the red coloring on one of his eyes and returning it to its natural green. “We have to keep it coordinated, or it’s less fun,” He explained, and Janus just laughed. 

“Wow, you are  _ extraordinarily _ extra.”

“Awww, thank you!”

“You’re quite welcome, dearest,” Janus purred, and Roman almost combusted right there. 

“Gh– pet names, ok. So that’s how you plan on killing me twice.” 

“Ah, you uncovered my plans! What a clever darling you are.”

“Yeah, but you like me too much to kill me, is the problem,” Roman said, feeling light as air. 

Janus just laughed. “You know what? You’re right.” 

Roman joined in the laughter, feeling light as air. The conversation dwindled to a close, but the silence didn’t feel so awkward– sure, the air was thick with tension, but it was just enough to keep Roman’s hopes aloft without smothering him in yearning. 

“So…” Janus said, after a while. “I know this is a terribly unoriginal first date, but… would you like to catch a movie sometime? Maybe around eight?”

Roman grinned, valiantly withholding from squealing with delight. “I guess I’m not doing anything else tonight. Why not?”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed it!!!!! this is another fic which i actually made an au for, whoops. so if you really like it, show your support and maybe i'll write more 👀. anyway i hope you have a wonderful day!!!!


End file.
